Senior Citizens Can Now Trade Community Service For Ohio State Courses

Ohio State president Michael Drake announced the school's new "Give back. Go forward" program on Tuesday.

Esther Honig

The Ohio State University has a few words for senior citizens: "Give back. Go forward."

As part of the school's new initiative by that name, senior citizens in Franklin County can complete 100 hours of community service and receive a voucher good for three credit hours. That's roughly one course at Ohio State - a value of over one thousand dollars.

In its pilot phase, the GBGF program will grant 100 seniors the opportunity to earn up to two of those vouchers in the next year. If they don't have plans to use the credit hours for classes themselves, they can gift their voucher to another Ohio resident, like their college-aged grand kid.

Ohio State president Michael Drake says the program supports community service, as well as the school's goal to increase affordability.

"This new program advances our founding mission while further connecting the university to the fabric of our community," Drake says.

The university will cover all costs associated with the program and will partner with the Columbus Metro Library, Mid-Ohio Food Bank and the St. Stephens House.

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